Over 14 crore workers and employees have lost jobs due to Covid-19 crisis. At such a critical juncture, the Government should give focus on safe return of migrants and making plans to provide jobs to workers. But it is now busy in amending labour laws in the interest of corporates.
Leaders of national trade unions (TUs) like INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC and AICCTU made these allegations while staging a demonstration here on Friday.
“After it came to power in 2014, the Narendra Modi Government took initiated in a planned way to change 44 labour laws into only four codes. Now, when the entire nation under the influence of Covid-19 crisis, the Government has increased working time from eight hours to 12 hours, attacked the rights of trade unions, allowed foreign direct investment in Defence and retain sectors and attempted to privatise Central PSUs and loot natural resources,” alleged trade union leaders.
Leaders like Dr Ramchandra Khuntia, Ramkrushna Panda, Janardan Pati, Sanjukta Mahal, Purna Behera, Mahendra Parida, Kishore Jena, Madanmohan Dhal, Pranati Mishra, Bijay Jena, Jatindra Ray, Sura Jena, CVN Rao, Dushmant Das, Sura Routray, Rajendra Burma, Niranjan Mohanty, Radhakant Sethi and Sanjib Pati participated.
They demanded that 10 kg of food grains be provided to workers per month for six months and assistance of Rs 10,000 for month till they get jobs.